Biffo the Bear

A cartoon character that had his own comic in the British comic The Beano. Biffo was a bear who was on the cover from episode 327, which was on January 24, 1948. His human friend Buster appeared with him in the strip in the late 1950s. From 1957, the strip covered the entire page. The strip remained on the cover till Dennis the Menace took over from number 1677 onwards. This was on September 7, 1974.

Biffo was drawn by Dudley D. Watkins, from the beginning of the comic in 1948 till his death on August 20, 1969. From then on, the comic strip was drawn by David Sutherland. In the late 1970s, Sutherland stopped drawing Biffo the Bear and his task was taken over by Jimmy Glen.

The strip ended on October 25, 1986, with the last episode in The Beano number 2310. Then the size of the strip had been reduced to a single row of 4 pictures. In 1989 however, the strip was back, now under the shorter name Biffo. The format had changed to three or four pictures spread over an entire page. The strip consisted only of drawings by Sid Burgon and contained no words.

The Beano

The Beano is a British children's comic, published by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd. The magazine first appeared on 26 July 1938 and was published weekly. During the Second World War, The Beano was published two weekly, because of the paper shortage, but from 1949 the comic was published every week again.

Dennis the Menace, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx, The Bash Street Kids and Billy Whiz became well known by generations of British children. Only earlier generations will remember Little Plum, Biffo the Bear Big Eggo and Calamity James, who now have disappeared from the comic.